A combination of a stale set-up and effective Crystal Palace block left Chelsea in another state of stagnation. With a low shot count and sporadic phases of quality, the game was destined for a goalless draw, only for Hakim Ziyech to find space at the back-post to squeeze in a late winner at the game’s […]
Barcelona made their Europa League debut against Napoli in the first knockout round of the competition. Lifting the Europa League trophy might not have been either side’s grandest ambition, but now they found themselves in it to win it. Napoli must have been the happier side after the final whistle as Barcelona missed lots of […]
Inter Milan might be short on experience of late at this stage of the Champions League, but they rose to the occasion to go toe to toe with their illustrious guests. Were it not for Liverpool’s rock at the back, we might have been telling a very different story. However, riding out the storm, a […]
Matthias Jaissle’s Red Bull Salzburg attacked with a ferocity not often expected from teams facing Bayern Munich, and the reward for their bravery was a draw which could easily have been a win had it not been for the awareness of Kingsley Coman. While the scoreline may indicate Bayern Munich’s offensive struggles, it was the […]
Few tread the fine line between spectacular names and gaudy collectives more than PSG and Real Madrid. Indeed, a tense affair illustrated how stellar individuals only work so well in units that have multiple flaws. But on a night made for magic moments, it was fitting that the man central to a narrative tying the […]
In a table topping duel between first and second, Inter Milan and Napoli had the ideal chance to make a statement of intent. In the end, true to the tightness of this title race, neither team could break the deadlock. The former verified their current delicate status in the new year, while the latter will […]
With Karim Benzema and Gerard Moreno both sidelined for this LaLiga clash, it was expected that goals would be hard to come by for both sides. Though Villarreal dominated the first half through their isolation of Marcelo on the right wing, it was Real Madrid who will end up regretting the volume of quality chances […]
Runaway Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain hosted Stade Rennais for the opening fixture of the 24th round of fixtures. With the Champions League knockout stages getting underway in midweek, the home side would have hoped to at least maintain their thirteen point lead at the top so that they could focus as much of their […]
In a season where Leicester City’s quest to usurp the top four has fallen flat, fixtures against Liverpool have gone to plan. So, at the third time of asking, Brendan Rodgers hoped to seal a victory against his old employers on their home turf. But the home team were too wily for the Foxes, turning […]
After ten minutes, Ralph Hasenhüttl changed his team’s shape to not only close the defensive holes but be the launchpad for adaptive buildups too. Against his coaching graduate, Ralf Rangnick struggled to find solutions as Southampton produced another impressive away display, to keep United tied. Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker. The reunion […]